Complete
by Nerdy Saxophonist
Summary: Lapis and Pearl try fusing for the first time.
1. Chapter 1

Lapis could feel her stomach turning.

She followed Pearl out onto the beach just as she'd been instructed to do. The two now stood on the beach, waiting to begin.

"Lapis, are you ready?" Pearl asked, looking down at her. Lapis met Pearl's gaze, offering nothing more than a nod. She found herself too nervous to speak, despite the fact that she had been dating Pearl for nearly a year now. The two trusted one another with their lives, but to Lapis, something still felt like it was _off_.

The two started dancing separately but in sync with one another. Lapis twirled towards Pearl, allowing Pearl to catch her. Pearl's long, delicate fingers wrapped around Lapis' own hand.

At that moment, an all too familiar face flashed through Lapis' mind. She could see those glowing yellow eyes so filled with anger as Pearl's careful grasp warped into a rough, powerful one. Pearl's soft hands transformed into large, bulky calloused ones as that wicked grin appeared in Lapis' mind.

Her heart started pounding as she let out a cry, pulling away from Pearl's grasp. She managed to take a few steps back before collapsing to her knees.

"L-Lapis? What's wrong?" Pearl asked as she knelt to the ground in front of the blue gem. Her heart sank as she saw Lapis' body begin to shake. A sob escaped her lips, and Pearl swore she could see a tear roll down Lapis' face before hitting the sand.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Pearl started to repeat over and over again, but Lapis didn't hear her. The only thing she could perceive was the sensation of Jasper's hands, the cold of the depths of the ocean, the raw hatred that had kept their very form together for so long.

Not knowing what else to do, Pearl placed her hand on Lapis' shoulder. Lapis looked up at Pearl for the first time since their dance. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, there were only tears streaming down her face as she wrapped her arms around Pearl, clinging to the gem as though her life depended upon her.

"Shh… You're okay. Everything's going to be okay," Pearl murmured, gently rubbing Lapis on the back below her gem. After a while of this, Lapis' tears had slowed to a near-halt.

"Are you ready to go back to the house?" Pearl asked, wiping away the remaining tears. Lapis nodded wordlessly. Pearl stood up, reaching down to pick up Lapis and cradle her against her chest.

"P-Pearl, I'm so sorry," Lapis whispered as she leaned her head against Pearl's chest.

"You did nothing wrong," Pearl replied softly as she carried Lapis up the front steps. She brought her through the door before laying her down gently on the couch. Pearl pulled out a blanket out of the closet and draped it over Lapis' form. Lapis scrambled closer to Pearl, resting her head on her lap. She gazed up at Pearl with those blue eyes that never failed to melt Pearl's heart.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized again.

"No, this is my fault, Lapis. I'm the one who suggested that we try fusing," she argued. Lapis shook her head in disagreement. While it had been Pearl who suggested the idea of fusing, Lapis had wholeheartedly agreed to it.

"Pearl, I agreed to it. I should've known I wasn't ready. It's all my fault."

"None of this is your fault. You went through hell the last time you fused, and I pushed you into this kno-" Pearl was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against her own.

Lapis pulled away, her eyes meeting Pearl's.

"I don't think arguing is going to get us anywhere," she told her, settling back into Pearl's lap. Pearl nodded, still stunned by the kiss.

"J-just try and get some rest," Pearl said, more of a suggestion than a demand.

Lapis obliged, closing her eyes and eventually finding sleep in Pearl's warm embrace.

A few short hours later, Lapis awoke with a start. She had dreamed she was Malachite again, and the dream had just felt all too real to her. She felt the ice-cold hatred envelop her once more, sending shivers down her spine. She could feel the pressure of the deep ocean, the water shackles chafing against her wrists, and she heard that horrid laugh that she wished never to hear again.

While she had woken up to Pearl's warmth, it wasn't enough to shake the cold feeling left over from the dream.

She looked up at Pearl, seeing that she was still asleep. She carefully climbed out of Pearl's lap, trying not to wake her, and tiptoed to the door. She slowly closed the door behind her with a soft 'click' before making her way down to the water line.

She didn't know what the exact time was, but she judged by the moon that it was about two in the morning. She felt relieved knowing she wouldn't have to face anybody for a few hours. She looked back at the ocean, relieved to be finally left alone with her thoughts.

She knew she wanted to overcome this. She knew that Pearl had been so eager to finally become one with her, and she knew she had let her down. The thought of letting Pearl down like that tore away at her to the point it was unbearable. Deep down, she knew that fusing with Pearl would be different than being Malachite. She just didn't know how to truly convince herself of that. She kept trying to think of some way to overcome this, but nothing came to her.

The sun started to rise over the ocean. She was still unable to come up with any sure solution, but she knew that she needed to have more control over the situation than she had in their previous attempt. Perhaps, if she were the one leading the dance, maybe she could relax enough for the fusion to happen. She didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a shot.

Pearl woke to the first beams of sunlight pouring in through the windows of the beach house. She stirred, immediately noticing the absence of a certain gem. Panicked, she looked around the beach house, trying to spot some sign of Lapis. As she glanced around, she noticed a splash of blue sitting on the beach. She ran down the steps before deciding to quietly approach the other gem.

"Lapis?" she asked. She was met with a whisper too low for her to hear. "Lapis, what are you doing out here?"

"I want to try fusing with you," Lapis repeated louder this time.

"Lapis, no. I don't want you getting hurt like that ever again," Pearl pleaded. Lapis stood up, looking Pearl in the eye.

"Pearl, please, trust me," she begged. Pearl's heart skipped a beat as she looked into those deep blue eyes of hers.

"Okay. If you're sure you want to do this," she sighed. Lapis placed her hand on Pearl's waist, pulling her closer. She grasped Pearl's hand gently with her free hand, to which Pearl put her remaining hand on Lapis' shoulder.

"I am."

The two started out swaying gently before spinning around together, Lapis leading the two of them. As the dance increased in tempo, their gems started to faintly glow, albeit unnoticeably in the light of the sunrise. Lapis spun Pearl around then pulled her back into her embrace. The last thing she saw was Pearl's gentle blue eyes gazing into her own before the two were overtaken by a blinding light.

The first thing Lapis felt was a familiar warmth all around her. It was so similar to when Pearl would embrace her, but this warmth seemed to be coming from inside of herself as well.

She slowly opened her eyes, Lapis immediately noticing that she had four of them again. The first thing she saw from her new eyes were her two long, slender, light blue hands which closely resembled Pearl's.

"Pearl! Lapis! I- wait, you- no, we did it!" the fusion laughed. "I can't believe we actually did it."

Just then, the two heard a squealing noise coming from behind them. They turned around to find Steven standing there, still in his pajamas.

"Steven?" they looked at him in shock. Neither had expected him to be up quite this early.

"You two look so happy!" he marveled, sprinting over to the fusion. They got down to their knees and caught him in a hug.

"We are," they replied, nuzzling his hair. It was the truth, too. Before this moment, neither had ever felt this complete.


	2. Chapter 2

Steven gazed up at the fusion with wonder still in his eyes.

"We need to show Garnet and Amethyst!" he gasped as he took the fusion's hand. Inside, Pearl and Lapis were debating the situation at hand.

' _Pearl, I don't think I'm ready for them to see us like this. What are they going to think of us?_ ' Lapis questioned frantically.

' _They'll be happy for us, Lapis_ ,' Pearl reassured her, ' _I promise_.'

"Pearl? Lapis?" Steven asked, growing concerned at the fusion's silence. The two snapped away from their conversation, giving Steven a bright smile as they lifted Steven onto their shoulders.

"Let's go," the fusion giggled as she stood back up. Lapis couldn't help but notice how natural it felt as she moved with Pearl, feeling no resistance from either party with every movement. Instead, every action more effortless than they usually did as the two gems worked in perfect synchronization with each other.

' _Is this what fusion usually feels like?_ ' she wondered.

' _When it's right, yes,_ ' Pearl answered as they walked towards the beach house. They entered the house to find Garnet and Amethyst having a conversation about something. Amethyst tapped Garnet on the shoulder as the fusion came through the door, drawing her attention to the new fusion.

"Guys! Look at Pearl and Lapis!" Steven announced, making the fusion blush as she saw the shocked expressions on the other gems' faces. Right away, Garnet found herself unable to stop herself from grinning at the two.

"I-it's Moonstone," she corrected as she knelt down to allow Steven to safely climb down.

"It's about time you two lovebirds fused!" Amethyst teased, causing Moonstone to blush an even deeper blue.

"So, how long do you two plan on staying like that?" she asked, leaning in.

"Just for today," Moonstone answered, earning a disappointed look from Steven.

"It takes time for two gems to get to know each other well enough to be able to stay in a fusion for an extended period of time," Garnet explained to Steven, who nodded in understanding.

"Besides, we'll fuse again sometime," Moonstone reassured him as she picked him back up, "in the meantime, I believe we have things to go do! Where to, Steven?"


End file.
